English / Year 4 / Literacy / Creating texts

Curriculum content descriptions

Use a range of software including word processing programs to construct, edit and publish written text, and select, edit and place visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1697)

Elaborations
  • identifying and selecting appropriate software programs for constructing text
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Creating texts,  Word processing

Online

TrackSAFE Education Primary School Resources: Year 3 and Year 4 English

This unit of work focuses on behaviour in and around tracks and rail infrastructure. Activities build subject-specific vocabulary and understanding of procedural text structures. Guided writing activities support students to develop a series of track safe procedures while a slogan writing activity focuses on effective ways ...

Online

Taronga Zoo - Wild Australia: iPad app

This iPad app is designed for Stage 2 students to use while on excursion in the Wild Australia area in Taronga Zoo Sydney and at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo. Students create a field report from observations and can email and review their editable summary poster for further study back at school. The app has intuitive ...

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Hillside erosion: how to stop it

Find out what is causing erosion of the hills in a local area, and how this damage can be prevented. View this clip called 'Willunga Hills are falling down', created by young reporters from Willunga Primary School, South Australia. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the news!' project, which featured ...

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How to get better at writing in rhyme

What does author Tony Wilson suggest doing to improve your rhyming skills? Why do you think reading might help? Are you familiar with the books and authors Tony mentions? Dame Lynley Dodd is the author of the Hairy Maclary books and Julia Donaldson is another successful author who uses rhyming in her books. Look them up ...

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How to write about what you love

Many of us enjoy writing when it is about something we care passionately about. Watch Lili Wilkinson describe her love of gardening and how she incorporated that love into her book, 'Green Valentine'. Can you think of something you care passionately about to create a story around?

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How to make a story interesting

To make a good story, author Tony Wilson says you need your characters to either make difficult decisions or do something difficult. Can you think of any good stories you've read where neither of these things happen? It's very difficult! Think about a tricky decision you've had to make or perhaps it's a tricky thing you've ...

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ABC Open: Australian Children's Laureate, Jackie French

Jackie French is the Australian Children's Laureate for 2014-2015, and the author of the famous Wombat series of books. Watch this video to find out how a wombat inspired and conspired against her literary ambitions! What are your inspirations when you write?

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Rebecca Lim and her writing process

How long does it take to write a YA book? Rebecca Lim fills us in and explains the role reading plays in the writing of her books. Why does she say that having an editor is important? Try challenging yourself to write a story in 100 words.

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Restoring a native creek habitat

Discover how a primary school is working with local environmental groups to clean up the local creek and promote the return of native animals. View this clip called 'A fishy story!', created by young reporters from Willunga Primary School, South Australia. The clip was developed as part of the ABC Splash Live 'Making the ...

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How to Build Stories, Ep 4: Exploring genre and setting of your story

Every genre has different rules. But once you know them, you can choose which rules you want to break. Find out how you can mix and match genres to create unique, interesting stories!

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What is the biggest lesson Andy Griffiths has learnt?

Listen as Andy Griffiths reveals the biggest lesson he's learnt as a writer. What did he once think he needed to do to be successful? And what did he discover? Why does Andy believe that being yourself when you write is the most important thing?

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Developing characters with Leigh Hobbs

How can drawings of characters give readers clues about who they are? What are some of the clues Leigh Hobbs gives us about Old Tom's character through his drawings of him? Do you have a character in your head that you've been thinking about for a while? As you draw or write about your character, remember what Leigh says ...

Online

Horton Hears a Who

This resource for primary school children examines the Dr Seuss picture book classic and the film based on the book. It examines the theme of sustainability. It contains questions and activities on the book and the film, as well as a teacher guide.

Interactive

Rainforest: make a walking track

Mark the route for a walking track on a map of a rainforest. Choose a section of track based on instructions about distances, compass directions and grid references. Keep adding sections of track to get to the rest house. As you go, look up the meaning of tricky words.

Interactive

Garage beat: advertisement

Help members of a garage band to upgrade their musical instruments. Use a checklist from the lead singer to compare advertisements for used instruments. Identify instrument features, band preferences and price limits. Then build an advertisement aimed at selling a drum kit. Use a model structure, images and sample text.

Interactive

Pop star puzzle

Work out what happened to a missing celebrity. Examine clues in a rubbish bin. Note key dates and times of evidence such as a hairdresser's receipt and an invitation. Sort the evidence into chronological order. Use a model structure and sample paragraphs to build your own newspaper article: headline, introduction, summary ...

Interactive

Wonderful words, creative stories: beach

Add descriptive words to two simple sentences about a boy and a girl at the beach to make the sentences more interesting. Try out different descriptive words in each sentence. Notice how your choice of words affects the animated images in each sentence. Use your two lively sentences as the start and ending of an imaginative ...

Interactive

Responsible fishing in Western Australia: write an article

Go fishing in Western Australia. Look at how and why laws restrict people from taking certain fish. Identify cases where laws apply: size limits, bag limits and closed seasons. Build a magazine article explaining the fishing laws. Use a model structure and persuasive text to support a responsible position. For example, ...

Interactive

Read between the lines: park

Read signs around a park to gather information that will help you answer a question about the park. Analyse the information in each sign to work out the implied meaning, and to determine people's opinions, feelings and ideas about the park and whether it is a healthy place for children. Record your opinion of what each ...

Interactive

Point of view: newspaper report

Examine a model newspaper report to learn about structure and use of verbs, adverbial phrases and pronouns. Read and listen to two witness reports of a skateboarding accident. Identify the two different points of view. Arrange paragraphs for the newspaper report. Select suitable verbs and adverbial phrases for the report. ...